Created by JeffreyChallis6
Last edited May 14, 2026

About: the event in regular track and field competitions

For other uses, see Scottish hammer throw.


Template:Use British English

Template:Infobox athletics event

The hammer throw (Abbreviated as HT[1]) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin.

The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consists of a metal ball attached by a steel wire to a grip. These three components are each separate and can move independently. Both the size and weight of the ball vary between men's and women's events. The men's hammer weighs Template:Convert for college and professional meets; the women's hammer weighs Template:Convert.[2]

History

Tradition traces it to the Tailteann Games in Tara, Ireland, around the year 1830 BC.[3] Some time later the Celtic warrior Culchulainn reputedly took a chariot axle with a wheel still attached, spun it around and hurled it a long way.[2] The wheel was later replaced by a rock with a wooden handle attached.[2] A sledgehammer began to be used for the sport in Scotland and England during the Middle Ages.[2] In current times, the hammer has changed to the more modern 16 lb. ball attached to a wire and a handle, but the Scottish hammer throw as seen in Highland Games still feature the older style of hammer throw with the rock and the solid wood handle.

While the men's hammer throw has been part of the Olympics since 1900, the International Association of Athletics Federations did not start ratifying women's marks until 1995. Women's hammer throw was first included in the Olympics at the 2000 summer games in Sydney, Australia, after having been included in the World Championships a year earlier.Template:Citation needed

Competition

The men's hammer weighs Template:Convert and the women's weighs Template:Convert, with the wire in either case no more than Template:Convert in length.[2] Like the other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the implement the farthest.

The throwing motion starts with the thrower swinging the hammer back-and-forth about two times to generate momentum. The thrower then makes three, four or (rarely) five full rotations using a complex heel-toe foot movement, spinning the hammer in a circular path and increasing its angular velocity with each rotation. Rather than spinning the hammer horizontally, it is instead spun in a plane that angles up towards the direction in which it will be launched. The thrower releases the hammer as its velocity is upward and toward the target.[4]

Throws are made from a throwing circle. The thrower is not allowed to step outside the throwing circle before the hammer has landed and may only enter and exit from the rear of the throwing circle. The hammer must land within a 34.92º throwing sector that is centered on the throwing circle. The sector angle was chosen because it provides a sector whose bounds are easy to measure and lay out on a field (10 metres out from the center of the ring, 6 metres across).[2][5] A violation of the rules results in a foul and the throw not being counted.Template:Citation needed

Template:As of the men's hammer world record is held by Yuriy Sedykh, who threw Template:T&Fcalc at the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, West Germany on 30 August. The world record for the women's hammer is held by Anita Włodarczyk, who threw Template:T&Fcalc during the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on 28 August 2016.Template:Citation needed Sedykh's 1986 world record has been noted for its longevity, and for dating from "a time when track and field was starting to realize the scale of performance-enhancing drug use" (AP).[6] According to Russian doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, Sedykh was a heavy user of steroids, which Sedykh denied.[6]

The throwing distance depends on the velocity and height at which the hammer is released, but also on other factors that are not under the athlete's control.[7] In particular, Earth's rotation affects it via the location's latitude (due to the centrifugal force, the hammer will fly a bit further in a location closer to the equator) and to a lesser extent also via the throw's azimuth (i.e. its compass direction, due to Coriolis forces).[7] According to a 2023 study, such effects are large enough that the top 20 world-record rankings for both men and women at the time could somewhat change if they were adjusted for latitude and azimuth.[7]

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Safety issues

Hammer throwing has been described as involving "inherent danger [...]. Athletes, coaches, and spectators participating in the event are at risk; steel hammers [...] are hurled through the air at great speeds, [travel] far distances, and [are] sometimes difficult to spot in flight."[8] For example, hammer throws resulted in four deaths in Europe in 2000 alone,[9] and have caused deaths and permanent brain damage injuries in the United States too.[8]

To mitigate such risks, a C-shaped "hammer cage" was introduced, which is built around the throwing circle, preventing the hammer from flying off in unwanted directions.[8] In 2004, the IAAF changed its rules to increase the mandatory height of hammer cages to 10m and reduce their "danger zone" angle to around 53°.[8] The change also moved the cage gates further away from the throwing circle, thus reducing the risk of a misdirected hammer bouncing back on the thrower.[10]

Area records

Area Men Women
Mark Athlete Mark Athlete
Africa Template:Small Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete
Asia Template:Small Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete
Europe Template:Small Template:T&FcalcR Template:AthAbbr Template:Flagathlete Template:T&FcalcR Template:AthAbbr Template:Flagathlete
North, Central America
and Caribbean
Template:Small
Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete
Oceania Template:Small Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete
South America Template:Small Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete Template:T&FcalcR Template:Flagathlete

All-time top 25

Template:See also

Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 hammer throw marks and the top 25 athletes:
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 hammer throw marks
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 hammer throw marks, by repeat athletes
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 hammer throw marks

Men

  • Correct as of September 2025.[13]
Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Mark Athlete Nation Date Place Template:Refh
1 1 Template:T&FcalcR Yuriy Sedykh Template:URS 30 August 1986 Stuttgart
2 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #2 22 June 1986 Tallinn
3 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #3 3 July 1984 Cork
2 4 Template:T&FcalcR Sergey Litvinov Template:URS 3 July 1986 Dresden
5 Template:T&FcalcR Litvinov #2 30 August 1986 Stuttgart
6 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #4 11 August 1986 Budapest
7 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #5 13 July 1984 London
Sedykh #6 17 August 1984 Moscow
9 Template:T&FcalcR Litvinov #3 3 July 1984 Cork
10 Template:T&FcalcR Litvinov #4 11 July 1986 London
Sedykh #7 4 September 1988 Moscow
12 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #8 20 August 1984 Budapest
13 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #9 3 July 1986 Dresden
3 14 Template:T&FcalcR Vadim Devyatovskiy Template:BLR 21 July 2005 Minsk
15 Template:T&FcalcR Litvinov #5 10 September 1986 Rome
4 16 Template:T&FcalcR Koji Murofushi Template:JPN 29 June 2003 Prague
17 Template:T&FcalcR Litvinov #6 26 September 1988 Seoul
18 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #10 9 July 1986 Moscow
5 19 Template:T&FcalcR Ethan Katzberg Template:CAN 16 September 2025 Tokyo [14]
20 Template:T&FcalcR Litvinov #7 9 July 1986 Moscow
6 21 Template:T&FcalcR Igor Astapkovich Template:Flag 6 June 1992 Seville
22 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #11 14 September 1984 Tokyo
23 Template:T&FcalcR Sedykh #12 8 June 1986 Leningrad
7 24 Template:T&FcalcR Ivan Tsikhan Template:BLR 9 July 2008 Grodno
8 25 Template:T&FcalcR Igor Nikulin Template:URS 12 July 1990 Lausanne
9 Template:T&FcalcR Jüri Tamm Template:URS 9 September 1984 Banská Bystrica
10 Template:T&FcalcR Adrián Annus Template:HUN 10 August 2003 Szombathely
11 Template:T&FcalcR Paweł Fajdek Template:POL 9 August 2015 Szczecin [15]
12 Template:T&FcalcR Tibor Gécsek Template:HUN 19 September 1998 Zalaegerszeg
13 Template:T&FcalcR Andrey Abduvaliyev Template:URS 26 May 1990 Adler
14 Template:T&FcalcR Aleksey Zagornyi Template:RUS 10 February 2002 Adler
15 Template:T&FcalcR Ralf Haber Template:GDR 16 May 1988 Athens
16 Template:T&FcalcR Szymon Ziółkowski Template:POL 5 August 2001 Edmonton
17 Template:T&FcalcR Olli-Pekka Karjalainen Template:FIN 14 July 2004 Lahti
18 Template:T&FcalcR Bence Halasz Template:HUN 12 August 2025 Budapest [16]
19 Template:T&FcalcR Rudy Winkler Template:USA 5 July 2025 Eugene [17]
20 Template:T&FcalcR Heinz Weis Template:GER 29 June 1997 Frankfurt
21 Template:T&FcalcR Balázs Kiss Template:HUN 4 June 1998 Saint-Denis
22 Template:T&FcalcR Karsten Kobs Template:GER 26 June 1999 Dortmund
23 Template:T&FcalcR Merlin Hummel Template:GER 16 September 2025 Tokyo [14]
24 Template:T&FcalcR Krisztián Pars Template:HUN 16 August 2014 Zürich
25 Template:T&FcalcR Günther Rodehau Template:GDR 3 August 1985 Dresden

Annulled marks

Women

  • Correct as of April 2026.[18]
Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Mark Athlete Nation Date Place Template:Refh
1 1 Template:T&FcalcR Anita Włodarczyk Template:POL 28 August 2016 Warsaw [19]
2 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #2 29 July 2017 Władysławowo
3 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #3 15 August 2016 Rio de Janeiro
2 4 Template:T&FcalcR Camryn Rogers Template:CAN 2 April 2026 Austin [20]
5 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #4 1 August 2015 Władysławowo
6 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #5 27 August 2015 Beijing
7 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #6 23 July 2017 Białystok
8 Template:T&FcalcR Rogers #2 15 September 2025 Tokyo [21]
3 9 Template:T&FcalcR DeAnna Price Template:USA 26 June 2021 Eugene [22]
10 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #7 12 July 2016 Władysławowo
4 11 Template:T&FcalcR Brooke Andersen Template:USA 20 May 2023 Tucson [23]
12 Template:T&FcalcR Rogers #3 24 April 2026 Nairobi [24]
13 Template:T&FcalcR Andersen #2 4 May 2024 Tucson [25]
14 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #8 15 August 2017 Warsaw
Andersen #3 20 April 2023 Charlottesville [26]
16 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #9 6 May 2017 Doha
17 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #10 27 June 2017 Ostrava
18 Template:T&FcalcR Rogers #4 10 April 2026 Ramona [27]
19 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #11 18 June 2016 Szczecin
20 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #12 22 July 2018 Lublin
21 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #13 31 August 2014 Berlin
22 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #14 21 May 2016 Halle
23 Template:T&FcalcR Włodarczyk #15 29 May 2016 Forbach
5 24 Template:T&FcalcR Betty Heidler Template:GER 21 May 2011 Halle
25 Template:T&FcalcR Andersen #4 24 May 2025 Tucson [28]
6 Template:T&FcalcR Rachel Richeson Template:USA 11 April 2025 Ramona [29]
7 Template:T&FcalcR Tatyana Lysenko Template:RUS 5 July 2012 Cheboksary
8 Template:T&FcalcR Zhao Jie Template:CHN 3 April 2026 Chengdu [30]
9 Template:T&FcalcR Janee' Kassanavoid Template:USA 21 May 2022 Tucson [31]
10 Template:T&FcalcR Gwen Berry Template:USA 8 June 2018 Chorzów [32]
11 Template:T&FcalcR Wang Zheng Template:CHN 29 March 2014 Chengdu
12 Template:T&FcalcR Anthonett Nabwe Template:LBR 23 April 2026 Des Moines [33]
13 Template:T&FcalcR Zhang Wenxiu Template:CHN 28 September 2014 Incheon
14 Template:T&FcalcR Aksana Miankova Template:BLR 29 June 2008 Minsk
15 Template:T&FcalcR Gulfiya Agafonova Template:RUS 12 June 2006 Tula
16 Template:T&FcalcR Zhang Jiale Template:CHN 2 August 2025 Quzhou [34]
17 Template:T&FcalcR Krista Tervo Template:FIN 11 June 2025 Lahti [35]
18 Template:T&FcalcR Oksana Kondratyeva Template:RUS 30 June 2013 Zhukovskiy
19 Template:T&FcalcR Hanna Skydan Template:AZE 23 August 2023 Budapest [36]
20 Template:T&FcalcR Silja Kosonen Template:FIN 15 March 2025 Nicosia [37]
21 Template:T&FcalcR Martina Hrašnová Template:SVK 16 May 2009 Trnava
22 Template:T&FcalcR Malwina Kopron Template:POL 26 August 2017 Taipei City [38]
23 Template:T&FcalcR Kamila Skolimowska Template:POL 11 May 2007 Doha
24 Template:T&FcalcR Mariya Bespalova Template:RUS 23 June 2012 Zhukovsky
25 Template:T&FcalcR Volha Tsander Template:BLR 21 July 2005 Minsk

Annulled marks

The following athletes had their performances (over 77.00 m) annulled due to doping offences:

Olympic medalists

Men

Template:Olympic medalists in men's hammer throw

Women

Template:Olympic medalists in women's hammer throw

World Championships medalists

Men

Template:World Championships in Athletics medalists in men's hammer throw

Women

Template:World Championships in Athletics medalists in women's hammer throw

World leading marks

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Template:Sticky header

Men

Template:Col-2

Women

Template:Col-end

See also

Template:Portal

Notes and references

  1. Terms and Abbreviations. World Athletics(September 2020). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Hammer Throw. worldathletics.org. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  3. 'Origins'. Hammer Throw, undated. Retrieved 28 January 2025
  4. Tokyo 2020: Why the Olympic hammer throw may become a new national obsession. Stuff(1 August 2021). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  5. Laying Out Sector Angles for the Track and Field Throwing Events. USA Track & Field Pacific Northwest. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Yuriy Sedykh, hammer world record holder, dies at 66. AP News(2021-09-14). Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Change of world-record rankings of shot put and hammer throw due to the effects of Earth rotation and athlete's height. Scientific Reports({Template:Date).
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 An Analysis of Hammer Throw Facility Safety Factors in NCAA Division I, Academy, U. S. Sports. The Sport Journal(2010-07-09). Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  9. Catastrophic Injuries Pull Focus On Field Event Safety. Athletic Business(2008-12-29). Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  10. Hammer throw safety cages. New Studies in Athletics({Template:Date).
  11. Men's Hammer Throw | Records. worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  12. Women's Hammer Throw | Records. worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  13. All-time men's best hammer throw. IAAF(7 May 2017). Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Men's Hammer Throw Final Results. World Athletics(16 September 2025). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  15. Fajdek throws 83.93m in Szczecin(9 August 2015). Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  16. Gyulai István Memorial - Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix - Men's Hammer Throw Final. World Athletics(12 August 2025). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  17. Results Hammer Throw Men. eugene.diamondleague.com(5 July 2025). Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  18. All-time women's best hammer throw. World Athletics. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  19. Wlodarczyk extends hammer world record in Warsaw. IAAF(28 August 2016). Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  20. Rogers throws North American hammer record of 81.13m in Austin. World Athletics(2 April 2026). Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  21. Women's Hammer Throw Final Results. World Athletics(15 September 2025). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  22. Holloway, Thomas, Benjamin and Price shine on superb day in Eugene(27 June 2021). Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  23. Track Scoreboard. finishedresults.trackscoreboard.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  24. Rogers, Thomas and Pathirage break meeting records in Nairobi. World Athletics(24 April 2026). Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  25. Hammer Throw Result. trackscoreboard.com(4 May 2024). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  26. Hammer Throw Result(20 April 2023). Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  27. Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational. World Athletics(10 April 2026). Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  28. Hammer Throw Results. World Athletics. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  29. Allman throws 73.52m North American discus record in Ramona | REPORTS | World Athletics. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  30. Throws Invitational Meeting 2. World Athletics(3 April 2026). Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  31. Kassanavoid climbs to No.6 all time with 78.00m hammer throw(22 May 2022). Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  32. Berry and Nowicki topple hammer favourites in Chorzow(8 June 2018). Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  33. Hammer Throw Results. World Athletics. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  34. Karalis clears 6.08m in Volos as records fall around the world, athletes target Tokyo. worldathletics(2 August 2025). Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  35. Women's Hammer Throw Final. World Athletics. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  36. Hammer Throw Qualification Results(23 August 2023). Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  37. Hammer Throw Results. World Athletics. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  38. Women's Hammer Final Results. 2017.taipei(26 August 2017). Retrieved 26 August 2017.Template:Dead link

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